Murdered military expert found in Delaware landfill was Hampton grad

A respected military expert whose murdered body turned up in a Delaware landfill on New Year's Eve graduated from Hampton High School in 1962, a school spokeswoman said Tuesday.

John Wheeler III, 66, was found after a garbage truck dumped its contents at a landfill near Wilmington, Del., according to media reports.

He was an Army staff officer in Vietnam, and worked in three Republican administrations after retiring from the military. He helped lead efforts to build the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall in Washington and was the second chairman and chief executive officer of Mothers Against Drunk Driving.

Wheeler's distinguished career did not go unnoticed by his alma mater.

In 1996, he was among those inducted into the Hampton High School Hall of Fame, said school spokeswoman Ann Stephens-Cherry.

According to his listing in the 1962 yearbook, his activities included being president of both the Russian and Spanish clubs, a member of the National Honor Society, a cross country runner and someone who was considered most likely to succeed.

He later graduated from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point.

Wheeler's death has been ruled a homicide, but investigators told the Associated Press on Monday they don't know who might have killed him.